Thanasi Kokkinakis admitted he “couldn’t talk” after upsetting Ben Shelton in the Davis Cup final between Australia and the United States.

The world number 77 was the underdog heading into the first singles match of their quarter-final, but he cruised through the first set before being taken to a decider.

There, Kokkinakis outlasted the American ace in a tiebreak that lasted just under 20 minutes, saving four match points against Australia on the board with a 6-1 4-6 7-6 victory (14 ).

Australia took on the United States on the third day of the Davis Cup in Malaga. It promised to be a blockbuster quarterfinal, with both teams boasting top singles players and elite doubles teams.

There was some surprise when Kokkinakis and Shelton were chosen to play No. 2 singles despite being the third players on their teams, with the likes of Alexei Popyrin and Tommy Paul also available to play.

But it turned out to be the right decision as they produced a thriller. Kokkinakis cruised through the first set in just 23 minutes to lose just one game, but Shelton refused to go down without a fight and won the second.

The first match ultimately ended in a tie-break of the last set, where the Australian quickly took the lead in the mini-break. Shelton returned to serve but a costly error gave Kokkinakis his first two match points.

But he couldn’t take them and both men continued to serve as match points came and went. Finally, after 19 minutes, Kokkinakis got the job done on his seventh match point, winning the tiebreak 16-14 to give Australia the lead. This is the sixth longest tie-break in Davis Cup history.

Then he said, “Oh man, I don’t know if I’ve ever been this motivated in my life. I really wanted this one, I wanted to help my team. I came out playing amazing, I thought that the second set “

As he reflected on their epic tiebreaker, the 28-year-old found himself at a loss for words. “It was tough, we were both serving well. I thought I was probably only tight on one shot, I had a little backhand there on the match point that I was just a little on hesitant,” he continued.

“Other than that, I didn’t have many chances to do anything, he was serving unbelievably. One or two points here or there, I kept – I can’t even speak. I’m thrilled.”

The victory is particularly special for Kokkinakis given that it comes in a team tournament. He added: “It’s a huge win for me. You know, every game has its own special moments, but to play not only for me but also for the boys, Lleyton showed faith in me.

“Everyone came from Australia to try and get the boys in the best possible shape. We also have a lot of great players on the bench, so everyone could have played, but I just wanted to give it my all. I don’t know never how I’m going to play, whether I’m playing well or not, but I just want to give it my all and give myself a chance.”

Top 10 players Alex de Minaur and Taylor Fritz will now face off in the second singles match. It comes exactly a week after Fritz came back from a set down to beat the Australian in his round-robin match at the ATP Finals to advance out of the group.

This is a must-win match for Fritz to keep the United States alive in the Davis Cup final. If they compete in a decisive doubles clash, Olympic doubles champion Matthew Ebden will team up with Jordan Thompson for Australia while the United States will be represented by silver medalists Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram.